It's Not A Total Good-Bye
by A Writer With Mixed Interests
Summary: The Curtis parents have just died, and Ponyboy fears that Darry will let the state take him and Soda away. Can Darry convince his younger brother that it will never happen? There is NO Lucy, so I own nothing here! All rights go to SE Hinton!


**It's Not A Total Good-Bye**

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**Hey! :) Wow, it's been FOREVER since I've written ANYTHING for The Outsiders, probably a couple years! But this just randomly popped up into my head, so here we go!**

**Summary: The Curtis parents have just died, and Ponyboy fears that Darry will let the state him and Soda away. Can Darry convince his younger brother that it will never happen? There is NO Lucy. You're welcome. **

**Enjoy! ;D**

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"Darry, honey, your dad and I are going out for our anniversary tonight," Mrs. Margaret Curtis smiled at her oldest son, twenty-year-old Darrel Jr., better known as Darry. "We need you to watch your brothers tonight. Can you do that?"

"Sure, Mom," Darry nodded as he helped his mother clear the table from lunch, smiling back. "Where's Dad taking you?"

"We made reservations at a fairly nice restaurant downtown," Mrs. Curtis replied. "It's not that expensive, so it's affordable."

"Well, then. Have a good time."

"Thanks, sweetie."

Mrs. Curtis wiped her hands off with a washcloth and looked at the plates in the sink. She would have the boys do the dishes later.

"Honey, are you almost ready?" Mr. Darrel Curtis, Sr. called to his wife.

"I'll be done in just a moment, Darrel," Mrs. Curtis shot back. She was fixing up her long blonde hair.

Soon, she stepped out out the bathroom, and her two younger sons, Sodapop (sixteen), and Ponyboy (thirteen) were there to greet her. Sodapop was absolutely stunned at his mother's beauty.

"Wow, Mom! You look amazing!" he cried.

Ponyboy smiled. "I hope you and Dad have fun tonight," he said quietly.

His mother came up and hugged him. "I'm sure we'll have a great time," she told him.

She hugged Soda, and then told them both, "Your father and I will be home at around 10:30 at the latest. If you go out tonight, you know when your curfew is."

"Midnight," Ponyboy and Soda chorused.

"That's right," Mrs. Curtis nodded. "I love you, boys."

"You too."

"You too."

Mrs. Curtis said the same rules to Darry (even though he was twenty and no longer had a curfew). Mr. Curtis said good-bye to his sons and their friends, and headed off. The boys remembered that night and would always remember it: Saturday, January 15th, 1966.

Everyone was there except for Dallas Winston. God only knew where he was at the time. Soda, Steve, and Two-Bit were playing poker, Ponyboy was sitting on the couch with Johnny, watching TV, and Darry was getting ready for an important job interview that he had tomorrow.

It was all normal until around 9:45 that night, when the doorbell rang.

This was a little confusing, as no one ever rang the doorbell at the Curtis house. Everyone always just walked right in.

Darry answered the door, and was a little surprised when he saw an officer on the other side.

"Umm...can I help you, sir?" he asked.

The officer looked very glum. "Are you Darrel Shaynne Curtis, Jr.?"

"Yes."

"Young man, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but your parents were in a car accident near the train tracks about ten miles away from here."

Listening in, Soda dropped his cards and his eyes and mouth went wide with shock.

Darry swallowed, getting worried. "Are they alright? The damage wasn't too bad, was it?"

"I'm sorry, son, but both of them died right on the spot."

Now the whole room was silent, except for the TV. Ponyboy started trembling, and Johnny held his arm to try and steady him.

Darry's worst fear had been confirmed. Much to Ponyboy's surprise, Darry's face remained calm, except for the shocked look in his blue-green eyes, of course.

"There will be a social worker at Tulsa Memorial Hospital tomorrow morning at around 9:00. She wants you to decide whether your brothers will go with her to a local boys' home, or that you want to take care of your brothers. You have until tomorrow to decide what you want to do. The bodies of your parents will be on the first floor in a morgue room."

His hand gripped tightly on the doorknob, Darry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"I am very for your loss, Mr. Curtis," the officer looked sad, and then walked back to his squad car.

Once he drove out of sight, Darry turned around. Everything was still very quiet, and all the boys still have shocked looks on their faces.

Suddenly, Soda got up and sprinted to his room, slamming the door and locking it. Back at the table, Steve tried to decide whether or not he should go comfort his friend, or leave him alone for now.

Darry turned to his still-trembling youngest brother, and walked up to him slowly. "Pony..."

Ponyboy looked up at Darry in shock, and when the older man reached for him, he shot up and bolted out the door.

Darry looked out after him, biting his lower lip. He then turned to look at Steve.

"Steve, I want you to console Soda. I'm going to go after Ponyboy."

Steve nodded and headed off after Sodapop. Two-Bit just looked at Darry, saying nothing.

It was very cold outside, so Darry grabbed his coat and put on his snow boots. He looked around the block for his brother, but he didn't see him anywhere. He hoped that Ponyboy wouldn't do anything to hurt himself.

It didn't take very long for Darry to find Ponyboy crying his eyes out, sitting in the old car seat in the lot.

Darry stood in front of the car seat. "Ponyboy..."

Pony looked up and sniffled. "Darry...I...you..."

Darry sat down next to his kid brother and pulled him close. He wondered why he wasn't crying himself. But then again, he hadn't cried in years, not since he was a little kid. Maybe he was just too shocked to cry.

"Darry..." Ponyboy said again, his voice all choked up. "Are you going to g-give Soda and me away?"

The older man, still hugging his little brother, stared out into the distance for just a moment. The rain was coming, and he knew it. But it didn't take him very long to come up with an answer.

"No."

Ponyboy looked up in shock. "But...but what about college? You've worked so hard for it, Darry! You really want to give up your dreams?"

"Pony, we can't even afford to send me to a decent school. I might not get the job that I have, or had, an interview for tomorrow, but I promise you, I _will_ get another job, and I _will_ keep you and Soda. If the devil wanted to snatch one of us up, believe me, kiddo, I would step right up if it meant protecting you and Soda."

Ponyboy couldn't believe it. Darry was dumping his dreams down the drain to take care of his brothers. Not many older siblings would do that.

"Darry, I want to go home," the younger boy sniffled.

Darry hauled him to his feet, and then took off his jacket, handing it to Pony. "Take it, kid. It's cold."

"Darry..."

"No. Take it."

Pony sighed and put on the jacket. Both brothers looked up when they heard thunder, and started running home once it started raining.

Once they got inside, Ponyboy went straight to bed, even though it was only around 10:00 and earlier than what it usually was when he went to bed on a weekend. But he, like Darry, wanted this night to just end.

"Darry..." Two-Bit began quietly, a rare sadness in his eyes.

"Pony and Soda are staying with me, no questions asked," Darry nodded. "I'm going to bed. Anyone can stay here if they want to."

Two-Bit and Steve left solemnly, Johnny stayed on the couch due to the rain outside.

The ride to the local hospital the next morning was all but talkative. Sodapop was biting his fingernails to keep from sobbing openly. Ponyboy was trembling, and Darry gripped his hands on the steering wheel, breathing deeply.

A female with graying hair who looked to be in her mid-forties or early-fifties was waiting for them in the hospital lobby. She had on business-type clothing, a black blouse with a matching skirt and high heels.

She walked up to them. "Are you the Curtis family?"

"Yes," Darry nodded.

"I'm so very sorry for your loss, Mr. Curtis," the woman addressed Darry. She shook his hand. "My name is Cheryl Sanders. I need to know your decision about your brothers so I can get it to my supervisor."

Darry looked from Soda to Ponyboy, and then back to Mrs. Sanders.

"Ma'am, I'm going to keep my brothers. They're the only family I have left."

Ponyboy sighed in relief and held onto Soda. The three brothers wanted nothing more than to have their parents back with them, but they would all be okay as long as they had each other.

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**So, yeah. This was in my head a few days ago, and now it's on here. XD Please leave a review, has my writing gotten better or is this like what I wrote 3 years ago? Reviews always make my day!**

**Well, until next time...**

**STAY GOLD! ;D**

***A Writer With Mixed Interests***

**:D**


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